


Choices

by thepeoplespoetisdead



Category: Horrible Histories
Genre: BBC, F/M, History, Horrible Histories - Freeform, Love, Love Triangle, RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-17
Updated: 2013-11-17
Packaged: 2018-01-01 21:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1048537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepeoplespoetisdead/pseuds/thepeoplespoetisdead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martha, Larry and Jim are all best friends. Together they created one of the most popular shows on children's television. Now, however, it turns out that Larry has feelings for Martha. As does Jim...<br/>*I do not own any of the Horrible Histories... anything... this is purely a work of fiction created to entertain*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Even after she opened her eyes, the world was still dark and blurry.  
The ringing of the alarm clock filled the room and she groaned in dismay of the time.   
She rubbed her head, an attempt to smooth her blonde, wild locks and swung her feet out of the bed and onto the carpet.  
She did her usual morning routine- shower, dress, breakfast, out the door in an hour. This time, however, her mind was on something else.  
What had happened last night? She pondered as she stepped into the shower, welcoming the icy water enveloping her body, awakening her from her dream-like state.  
What had happened?

….

It was supposed to be a normal event. Everyone would just go out to the local pub to celebrate Mat and Ben’s relationship and we would then go home. Nothing strange about that. She’d known everyone for nearly five years. They were her family- her rocks to rely on. She knew they’d always be there for her, no matter what, and that is why she was so scared.  
It was informal drinks- informal being the key word, so she pulled on a simple white top and black trousers, But something made her put on a dash of lipstick, a nice pair of heels and some mascara before she left.   
She was ready for whatever her drunken friends were ready to throw at her- they really knew how to party.   
She arrived at the pub to find none of them there. Great. She hated being the awkward first one there, the one other people in the pub take pity on because they look like loners- for that reason only she always went to events like this ten minutes late.  
The pub- the Shamrock- was one off those cheesy Irish themed pubs who no one actually Irish stepped into, although it was right next to most of their houses, so it became their hangout as it very much was.  
She ordered a gin and tonic from the man at the bar and sat down at a table neat the front so anyone would be able to see her when she sat down.   
It was a Friday- she hated going to pubs on a Friday for the simple reason of the busyness. It was choc full of people playing pool, drinking, flirting, talking (rather loudly), betting, and generally doing everything that annoyed her. She would much rather be at home with a glass of red wine, good book and Wally for company.  
With her drink in her hand she walked into the garden area out the back, which they called a garden but was more like an elaborate patio. There were people smoking everywhere, and the odd couple making out, but to Martha it was good enough than all those people in there.  
She took a light sip of her G-and-T when someone ‘zapped’ her. The slightly podgy stickers sinking into her skinny waist as she spat out her mouthful of drink, shocked and slightly angry.  
She jumped up in the air and screamed, drawing the attention of nearly everyone in the garden, actually stopping some teenagers form sucking each other faces off to check who had been killed.  
She turned around and realised it was Jim. At last, she thought, a friend here to accompany her! Although, the word friend didn’t come to mind when she thought of Jim. No- they had been friends in the past- good friends, but recently something had happened. The way he looked at her- longing almost- made her consider how she considered him- was he a friend or… what? What|? She asked herself. What could he be? He was part of her family- it would be like kissing your brother.   
‘Martha!’ He said and enveloped her in a big bear hug that he was renowned for.  
‘Jim!’ She said back, slightly awkwardly, still pondering what she really thought of him.  
‘What? You don’t sound to good, are you okay?’ He said, pulling out from his hug and staring straight into her eyes. Her heart rate increased as he gazed and gazed with his bright blue eyes, opening up a world of emotion she had never felt to anyone before. A bolt of electricity ran through her- surely he must’ve felt something- after all, things like that aren’t just for one person- aren’t they?  
‘Yeah… I’m fine. Fine Jim, really. Lets go inside- it’s getting chilly.’  
She eventually stammered, tearing her gaze away. She turned towards the door, and as she did so, she felt a warm arm loop itself around her waist and pull her closer to him. She smiled and breathed in heavily, taking in his scent of manliness, aftershave and cologne. Wait… cologne? She’d known him for too long and gone to too many black-tie do’s together to know that he only wore cologne on special occasions. What made this event special? It was just a trip to the pub, wasn’t it?


	2. Chapter 2

They walked inside (Jim’s arm still around Martha, she noted) to find the ‘gang’ sitting in a booth, laughing and talking as usual. They turned around almost immediately to Jim and Martha as they walked in, and as soon as Jim noticed, his arm went back to his side and he took an incredibly large step away from Martha, as if they were in primary school and caught with their DSs’ or tamagotchis.   
The group grew quite and stared, eyes burning into them, making Martha and Jim turn red.  
‘Guys!’ Jim said awkwardly, holding his arms out, whilst Martha stood behind, stock still and slightly scared. What will they think? Did they see us?  
‘Jimmy!’ Simon was the first to get up and hug Jim, the rest of them sitting awkwardly in silence, unsure of what they just saw.  
‘Hi!’ Martha said, a little too perkily, walking up to the table.  
Soon things returned to normal- they got drunk rather quickly, Martha sticking to an occasional Gin and Tonic, and after a few hours of regular banter, Martha finally thought things had returned to normal. She’d managed to convince herself that it was just the initial flush of alcohol to her system which made her think that her and Jim… she couldn’t even think it- it was too ridiculous now.  
Suddenly, a loud and drunken Simon suddenly blurted out;  
‘What was all that, Marthy-boo, with you and Jiimmmy boy? He had his {hiccup} arm around you and you two looked {hiccup} rather in loovee as it very much was.’  
Everybody laughed but Jim and Martha, who had sobered up in an instant and turned bright red.  
‘No… no…no nothing!’ They both stammered together, unsure themselves of what happened.  
‘Arreee yoouuu suureee?’ Simon asked, his drunk voice sounding more and more like the voice he used as George III.  
‘Yes, perfectly, absolutely, perfectly yes…’ Once again they answered at the same time.  
Another awkward interval of silence ensued, making them sure whatever they had was going to be found out, when Mat and Ben, who had been drunkenly sucking each other’s faces off in the corner suddenly blurted out;  
‘We best get going, you lot. Mat’s being a very naughty boy, isn’t he?’ Ben said, staring Mat directly in the eyes and then leaning in for a kiss.  
‘Too much information!’  
‘Grosssssss!’ The group shouted loudly at them.  
‘So, bye.’ Mat said before climbing (rather clumsily) over Jim to get out of the booth.   
They stumbled out of the pub, banging together and kissing as they left.  
Now Jim and Martha were sitting next to each other.  
Simon had supposedly forgotten about the harrasment and went onto tell them all about a joke he forgot but promised was hilarious.  
While Simon was shouting, Jim managed to sidle closer to Martha and whisper into her ear;  
‘I’m sorry, for whatever I got us into. I’m sorry- I didn’t mean it like that- whatever I did was like whatever you felt it was like.’  
Even though she was heavily confused by what Jim said, she smiled- it must’ve taken guts to apologize, she thought. It was awful sweet of him, and considerate. His hand gently brushed over hers a few minutes later- it was placed by her side underneath the table. After that, it quickly re-traced its footsteps (or handsteps?) and gently gripped onto hers making her heart race and her eyes widen. She turned to look at Jim, but he was just staring straight at Lawry, as if nothing had happened. He must’ve felt someone staring because he promptly turned to her, gave her a reassuring grin and went back to listening to Lawry’s drunken speech on friendship.  
The evening ended with a quick peck on the cheek from Jim (when the rest of them weren’t looking), which made her light up inside. What happened? She pondered as she wondered back home to an excited Wally and a comfortable bed- although he was wonderful to play with and the bed was dreamy, she wanted more.


	3. Chapter 3

Her car pulled up to the BBC Studios in London at 9:00am, making her officially late. For the first time. Ever. To anything.   
She was shocked and angry at herself, speed walking into the building at considerable pace- just as she got through security she heard her name being shouted- echoing throughout the minimalist-themed main hall.  
‘MARRTTHHA!’ She recognised that voice- and cursed it at the same time. For the second time in a day, all eyes were on her as she turned around to Jim who was being as carefree and goofball-y as he usually was, running through security with his bag flopping at his side.  
‘Thought I’d miss you!’ He said, fully aware fo the severly awkward atmosphere in the air that hung between them.  
‘I was in a rush- I’m late- it’s not usually like me to be…’ She began, not stopping to talk to him. It wasn’t that she disliked him any less, or that she was afraid the rumours had already spread, she convinced herself- it was that she was late and she was in a rush.  
‘I know, silly! I’ve known you for what- five years?’  
He walked at her side, having no trouble keeping up her pace. His hand wrapped around one of her skinny arms and made her stop walking.  
‘Stop, Martha, just stop for a minute.’ His voice sounded much more serious than a few seconds ago. She complied and turned to face him, drinking in his sight and taking note of how her heart was fluttering as he continued to hold onto her arm. How was he doing this to me? She anxiously thought. We were just friends! How?!  
He interrupted her thoughts with ‘I just wanted to say sorry- we were all drunk and I don’t know what you think happened but nothing happened, at all- nothing at all- are we still fr… I mean can we still be friends?’ He mumbled, getting lost in his trail of thought and the georgeous feeling of her smooth skin- he wanted more of it and just couldn’t let go.  
‘Yeah, of course, Jim. I don’t know what you think that I think happened but yeah, sure. Come on, lets go- we’re late. Can you please let go of my arm, Jim?’  
‘Oh, of course…’ He did, reluctantly, let go of her arm, taking one deep breath of her scent- floral perfume that made him smile.  
And so they walked, side by side down the never-ending corridors of the BBC, kidding themselves of what they really thought of each other.


	4. Chapter 4

As they got to make-up and costume, Jim stood aside after opening the door.  
‘After you, milady.’ He said, bowing and talking like a cockney Londoner.  
‘Ohh, thank you, sir!’ She said, giving him a joking pat on the head. It’s good that we’re back to normal, she thought. Jim- my goofball, teddy bear and friend. Whatever happened- if anything happened last night- was just the alcohol. Nothing else.   
Jim, on the other hand, was certain of his feelings for Martha. She lit up his life- she was funny, beautiful, smart, a great actor, a great chef, an animal person, the list goes on and on. He was certain she was the one for him, and he had drank whiskey before going out last night to build up his courage to ask her out properly, but his aid turned on him and made him do horrific things to their relationship. He considered buying flowers to apologize, but then she’d know for sure- and it wasn’t like he was her only option- in his eyes he was her last. He saw the way Larry looked at her- his eyes dancing over her face and doing everything he could to make her laugh- he had a much better chance with her than the awkward, only-a-friend-Jim Jim saw himself as. He could practically see the bulge in Larry’s pants when Martha licked that cake off him in a sketch a year ago or so. But still, he pondered- why had he left it this long, if at all, to ask her out? Was Larry in the same predicament as him- sure of no mutual feelings- only friendship? Or was he planning his way with her- making sure that she was his before making his move? Either way, Jim thought he had no chance, and because of this made sure that his relationship with Larry (and Martha) stayed professional. It was hard at times- especially when he saw them together- but it was worth it- no awkwardness between them. It would’ve ruined the show, and Jim knew it.  
They walked in and immediately Simon got up from his make-up chair to greet them. Despite having his face half-covered in his Death-skeleton make-up, he still got up and wondered to the door, enveloping them in a big hug. During the hug, he whispered  
‘Really sorry ‘bout last night- it’s the booze. Whatever you two lovebirds to is fine by…’  
‘Simon?!’ The make-up artist shouted, angry and slightly amused at the child-trapped-in-an-adult which was Simon.  
‘Comminngggg.’ He wondered back over looking slightly better with himself. On the half of his face which wasn’t covered in Stupid-Death make-up, the black bags and sallow skin were visible- probably not the only scars of a terrible hangover.  
They sat down in their seats for make-up, and so the day began.


	5. Chapter 5

After a hefty few hours of filming, changing costumes and make-up and filming again, the cast sat down to lunch. Mat and Ben were sitting with an arm around each other and the other dipping into massive portions of chips. This seemed completely normal to the rest of them- but the fact that Mat was dressed as an Aztec priest and Ben a Georgian man with ridiculous wig hair made it comical.  
‘So, lovebirds- anything new?’ Cleopatra asked them.  
‘Well, guys…’ Mat began.  
‘What? Spill the beans!’ Larry added, excited over nothing.  
‘I’ve got a concert! I’m going to be proforming live!’  
They all burst into congradulations and questions when Ben added in his posh tone-  
‘It’ll be next Saturday, at the club.’ It was another regular hangout for them- a place to relax and listen to new artists- the fact that Mat was playing there made them exstatic- it was a fantastic place with an even better audience.  
They hugged and congradulated and wished him well.

………

After filming, Martha started to walk out of the BBC studios, handbag in one hand and a hefty pile of scripts in the other.  
Suddenly, two masculine hands reached in front of her and snatched the scripts off of her, relieving her of the massive burden.  
‘Just thought you needed some help.’ Larry said, walking alongside her.  
‘Thanks… they’re heavy.’ She managed, turning to face him.  
She took in his face- the scruffy hair, messed up from hours with various wigs on, the adorable moles she occasionally teased him about, his beautiful eyes and his slight stubble, when suddenly a gorilla leapt up behind him and zapped him.  
‘AHHHHH!’ Larry screamed like a girl and dropped the scripts, making them fall all over the desolate BBC reception area.  
‘Sorry, Lars.’ Jim’s muffled voice could be heard from within the massivly hairy suit. Martha had to try her hardest to suppress a manic laughter- the kind that makes you cry and your face turn red- eventually she gave in and burst out laughing, her manic wails echoing off the minimalist walls as she collapsed on the ground crying.  
The two men just stood there, gazing at the woman they both loved as she cried with laughter at both of them.  
Eventually Jim got down to his knees and started to pick up some of the scripts and loose papers, but his massive gorilla fingers made it near impossible, and his attempts just made Martha laugh harder and harder.  
Soon Larry joined in, and finally Jim until they came to a gradual end, tears rolling down their red faces.  
‘Thanks, Jim, Larry, but I think I’d best be going.’ She said, gathering up her spilt scripts and smoothing her blouse. She ran a spare hand through her hair as she made for the door.  
Larry and Jim just sat on the floor, watching her bum wiggle slightly as she walked, wishing and hoping she would one day be theirs.


	6. Chapter 6

The next week went as usual, save the usual flirting between Mat and Ben. Martha preformed, sang and acted her very best, whilst her mind was on other things. She was nervous for Mat for Saturday, but most of all for herself. She’d managed to avoid or run away from any personal chats with both Jim and Larry, scared of what they’re going to do.   
She sat on her bed, gazing emptily on Saturday afternoon at her wardrobe and suddenly exclaimed;  
‘I spend my whole life shopping yet I have NOTHING TO WEAR!’  
Wally appeared scared and shocked my his owner’s sudden outburst thsat he ran to the other room.  
At that moment the doorbell rang.  
‘Who is iitttttt?’ She said, walking slowly to the door.  
‘It’s me.’ A distinctive and well-known voice said from the other side of the door.  
She hesitated for a moment before running over to the nearest mirror and smoothing down her hair.  
‘Martha!’ Jim exclaimed, embracing her in a hug.  
‘Jim?’ Martha questioned, not returning the hug.  
‘I just popped round to say hi and…’ He said, chasing Wally before picking him up and hugging him to.  
Martha smiled at the playful-ness of them both- despite being different species, ages and sizes, they still managed to be the best of friends, playing and chasing each other when they were together.  
Jim sat down on her sofa and plopped Wally on his lap as Martha went over to them.  
‘And what, Jim?’ She asked, suddenly curious.  
‘Well, would you… like to… I mean you don’t have to…’  
‘Yes I would Jim.’ She knew what he was going to say before he even said it.  
‘Great, what time should I pick…’  
‘7 o’clock tonight, Jim. Don’t be late.’ She smiled, extatic at what’s just happened.  
‘Great! See you then, then. Goodbye Wally…’ He said, giving Wally a kiss before walking out the door.  
They were going to Mat’s concert together.


End file.
